Stratigraphical Framework for the Ordovician and Silurian Sedimentary Strata of Northern England and the Isle Of
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Stratigraphical framework for the Ordovician and Silurian sedimentary strata of northern England and the Isle of Man Geology and Landscape, England Research Report RR/12/04 BRITISH GEOLOGICAL SURVEY GEOLOGY AND LANDSCAPE, ENGLAND RESEARCH REPORT RR/12/04 Stratigraphical framework for the The National Grid and other Ordovician and Silurian Ordnance © Crown Copyright and database rights 2012. Ordnance Survey Licence No: 100021290. sedimentary strata of northern Keywords Report; stratigraphy, biostratigraphy, England and the Isle of Man Ordovician, Silurian. Front cover Kirkley Bank Formation (Dent Group) at Moor Head, Troutbeck, D Millward and P Stone Cumbria. Calcareous mudstone and siltstone with interbedded, brown- weathered, nodular limestone. Bibliographical reference MILLWARD, D, AND STONE, P . 2012. Stratigraphical framework for the Ordovician and Silurian sedimentary strata of northern England and the Isle of Man. British Geological Survey Research Report, RR/12/04. 119pp. Copyright in materials derived from the British Geological Survey’s work is owned by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and/or the authority that commissioned the work. You may not copy or adapt this publication without first obtaining permission. Contact the BGS Intellectual Property Rights Section, British Geological Survey, Keyworth, e-mail [email protected]. You may quote extracts of a reasonable length without prior permission, provided a full acknowledgement is given of the source of the extract. Your use of any information provided by the British Geological Survey (BGS) is at your own risk. Neither BGS nor the Natural Environment Research Council gives any warranty, condition or representation as to the quality, accuracy or completeness of the information or its suitability for any use or purpose. All implied conditions relating to the quality or suitability of the information, and all liabilities arising from the supply of the information (including any liability arising in negligence) are excluded to the fullest extent permitted by law. Maps and diagrams in this book use topography based on Ordnance Survey mapping. ISBN 978 0 85272 712 6 © NERC 2012. All rights reserved Keyworth, Nottingham British Geological Survey 2012 BRITISH GEOLOGICAL SURVEY The full range of our publications is available from BGS shops at British Geological Survey offices Nottingham, Edinburgh, London and Cardiff (Welsh publications only) see contact details below or shop online at www.geologyshop.com BGS Central Enquiries Desk Tel 0115 936 3143 Fax 0115 936 3276 The London Information Office also maintains a reference collection of BGS publications, including maps, for consultation. email [email protected] We publish an annual catalogue of our maps and other publications; this catalogue is available online or from any of the Environmental Science Centre, Keyworth, Nottingham BGS shops. NG12 5GG Tel 0115 936 3241 Fax 0115 936 3488 The British Geological Survey carries out the geological survey of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the latter as an agency email [email protected] service for the government of Northern Ireland), and of the surrounding continental shelf, as well as basic research projects. Murchison House, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3LA It also undertakes programmes of technical aid in geology in developing countries. Tel 0131 667 1000 Fax 0131 668 2683 email [email protected] The British Geological Survey is a component body of the Natural Environment Research Council. Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD Tel 020 7589 4090 Fax 020 7584 8270 Tel 020 7942 5344/45 email [email protected] Columbus House, Greenmeadow Springs, Tongwynlais, Cardiff CF15 7NE Tel 029 2052 1962 Fax 029 2052 1963 Forde House, Park Five Business Centre, Harrier Way, Sowton EX2 7HU Tel 01392 445271 Fax 01392 445371 Maclean Building, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford OX10 8BB Tel 01491 838800 Fax 01491 692345 Geological Survey of Northern Ireland, Colby House, Stranmillis Court, Belfast BT9 5BF Tel 028 9038 8462 Fax 028 9038 8461 www.bgs.ac.uk/gsni/ Parent Body Natural Environment Research Council, Polaris House, North Star Avenue, Swindon SN2 1EU Tel 01793 411500 Fax 01793 411501 www.nerc.ac.uk Website www.bgs.ac.uk Shop online at www.geologyshop.com Foreword A stratigraphical framework for the Ordovician and Silurian sedimentary successions of the Lake District and adjacent areas of northern England, and the Isle of Man is presented herein. It arises from the modern 1:10 000-scale geological mapping undertaken by the British Geological Survey and its university partners, since 1981, during the Lake District Regional Geological Survey. The framework is a contribution to a more extensive review, undertaken by the Stratigraphy Committee of the British Geological Survey (BGS), of stratigraphical classification for all parts of the United Kingdom. Stratigraphical Framework Committees (SFC) were established to review problematical issues for various parts of the stratigraphical column. Each SFC has the following terms of reference: • To review the lithostratigraphical nomenclature of designated stratigraphical intervals for a given region, identifying problems in classification and correlation. • To propose a lithostratigraphical framework down to formation level. • To organise peer review of the scheme. • To present the results in a document suitable for publication. • To ensure that full definitions of the lithostratigraphical units are held in the web- accessible BGS Lexicon of named rock units for the areas of responsibility covered by the SFC. Acknowledgements Many BGS staff and academic colleagues have contributed to the current well-established lithostratigraphical framework through their research in the Lake District. This assistance has been received at all stages of the study. In addition to the collection of data, many individuals have freely given their advice, and provided invaluable local knowledge. The final version of this report benefited from feedback provided by members of the BGS Stratigraphy Committee, and from the thorough and helpful reviews by A W A Rushton and M Williams on behalf of the Stratigraphy Commission of the Geological Society of London. As this report was being completed, the authors were saddened to hear of the deaths of two stalwarts of Lake District research: Frank Moseley and Barrie Rickards. Their contributions over many years have been fundamental to our understanding of the Lower Palaeozoic development of northern England, and accordingly this report is dedicated to their memories. British Geological Survey Research Report RR/12/04 i Contents Foreword .................................................................................................................................. i Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................. i Contents ................................................................................................................................... ii Summary ................................................................................................................................ iv 1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Tectonic setting ............................................................................................................... 1 2 Correlation and biostratigraphical framework .............................................................. 3 2.1 Chronostratigraphy ......................................................................................................... 3 2.2 Biostratigraphy ................................................................................................................ 3 3 Lithostratigraphical framework ...................................................................................... 5 3.1 Skiddaw Group (SKG) .................................................................................................... 6 3.2 Manx Group (MANX) .................................................................................................... 7 3.3 Ingleton Group (ING) ..................................................................................................... 7 3.4 Windermere Supergroup (WIN) ..................................................................................... 8 4 Skiddaw Group ................................................................................................................ 13 4.1 Northern Fells Belt ........................................................................................................ 13 4.2 Central Fells Belt .......................................................................................................... 18 4.3 Ravenglass inliers ......................................................................................................... 22 4.4 Southern Lake District inliers ....................................................................................... 22 4.5 Cross Fell Inlier ............................................................................................................ 23 4.6 Teesdale Inlier ............................................................................................................... 27 5 Manx Group ..................................................................................................................... 28 5.1 North-west and north-west coast